Wait... We Give Inmates Belts?

We must, because according to a Miami Herald headline, the inmates are tightening them. Just ask D'Angelo from The Wire whether belts should be allowed in prison.

Well...I guess we can't ask him now, can we?

Then again, maybe the Herald's just being metaphorical.

Florida is coping with the effects of a failed and expensive food-privatization venture of former Gov. Jeb Bush. In 2001, the state turned over most prison food operations to Aramark Corp., even after Ohio had scrapped a similar experiment, citing bad results.

After seven years marked by numerous irregularities, fines for sloppy service and a state report that flagged the vendor's ''windfall'' profits, Aramark pulled out of Florida prisons last month. The firm said it could no longer make money due to rising prices of bread, milk and other staples amid pressure from the state to cut costs.

A second, smaller company also left: Trinity Services Group of Oldsmar, Fla., had served meals at North Florida prisons, including Madison.

Now that the vendors are gone, the privatization experiment is officially dead, and the state must run an in-house meals program on less money amid the worst budget crisis in decades.

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